Highs and lows: Some of the best, worst of the week

May 18, 2013

BALL TITLES - Congratulations to the Westfield, Fredonia and Cassadaga Valley varsity baseball teams as well as the North Collins and Fredonia varsity softball teams. They all won at least partial titles in their respective divisions. It was particularly sweet for Cassadaga Valley, which hadn't won a title in 39 years. Playoffs start today. Good luck to all the teams that made it.

25 YEAR HIKE - Today Fredonia eighth graders, and a few Brocton students as well, will be returning from the Quest, a four-day backpacking adventure across Northern Chautauqua County. The group is scheduled to return around 2:45 p.m. at Russell Joy Park. Quest began 25 years ago under the direction of Lee Seratius. Today Stephen and Susan Cobb are the overall instructors, with Kathy Wickmark, Mike Bobseine and Jackie Swift serving as hike group leaders. Too much of our youth's time is spent in front of screens. Quest gives them an opportunity to experience the beautiful world we live in.

WORLD RECORD HOLDER - Congratulations to Brocton native (and former Evening OBSERVER sales representative) David Belmondo. Last weekend Belmondo rode the Ferris wheel at Waldameer for 31 consecutive hours, setting a new Guinness World Record. Belmondo previously set a world record back in 1978 for the most continuous hours spinning records (remember those) in a disc jockey booth - 2,016 hours. While riding the Ferris wheel, Belmondo was able to raise about $5,000 for the John Kanzius Cancer Research Foundation.

WORST

MINOR PARTY PROBLEMS - The Conservative Party of Chautauqua County is feuding once again, over who has control. Part of the dispute is that different members want to endorse different people who aren't registered conservatives. Those running for office like having the additional lines on the ballot. There's less than 2,000 registered conservative party members in Chautauqua County. New York state should do away with multiple lines on ballots. That would cause these kinds of disputes to vanish.